It is important to rigidly hold the head of the patient in a fixed position during neurosurgical and related procedures. Patients heads are usually held in position with a head clamp which uses pads to hold the head or head clamps of the type shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,966,383; 3,099,441; 3,835,861 and 4,169,478. These head clamps include a frame to hold at least three head engaging pin members that are forced through the skin of the patient to directly engage the bony portion of the skull. The engagement of the pins in the skull fixes the head in an immovable position during the surgical procedure. The pins that are used in these procedures are generally reusable and are fitted into pin sockets or bores in components affixed to the frame of the head clamp. The pins may be threaded into the bore or held in the bore with a pin or screw or held in the bore by an O-ring. After the pins have been used in a surgical procedure, they are cleaned and sterilized and packaged for subsequent use.
Occasionally, during a surgical procedure, it may be necessary to remove a patient's head from the skull clamp. In such instances it is sometimes desirable to replace the pins that are used in the skull clamp. Reusable, resterilized pins may not be readily available. The present invention provides pins which are disposable and can be marketed and maintained in a sterile condition in bacterial barrier packaging so that if such pins are needed in the operating room, they may be simply removed from the package and placed in the skull clamp. Since the pins are not reused, their points are sharp and easily placed in the bony portion of the skull of the patient.